Just Add a Question After claude: Work Starts on Launch

When you receive a new project folder, have you ever launched claude, waited for the screen to come up, and only then typed your question? You can cut out a step. If you attach the question right to the launch command, work starts the instant it opens.

Definition (What It Is)

claude "question" is a way of launching Claude and throwing your first question at it right away. If you write the task in quotes (") after claude, it doesn't wait for a chat window to open—it starts processing that question immediately. It's essentially launching and the first instruction combined into one line.

How to Use It (By Difficulty)

Before you start: This command also follows the "current folder = work target" rule. So before asking, you need to first move (cd folder-path) into the project folder you want to work on, so that Claude looks at that folder's files when it answers. The question must be wrapped in quotes, and write it as a sentence, not a single word.

Basic — Ask right away

claude "이 프로젝트 설명해줘"

The moment it launches, it examines the current folder and explains what the project is. When you run it, it analyzes briefly, the answer appears on screen, and then an input box opens so you can keep chatting as usual.

Applied — Have it read and process a file

claude "README 읽고 3줄 요약"

This tells it, right at the start, to read the README file and summarize it in three lines. Just write "which file, and how to process it" together in the question. Even when you don't know the exact file path, if you say it naturally like "read the README," Claude finds and reads it on its own.

Advanced — Start with a specific task instruction

claude "src 폴더에서 TODO 주석 전부 찾아서 목록으로 정리해줘"

The question is the task instruction. The more specifically you write what (TODO comments in the src folder) and how (organize into a list) to process, the more accurate the result. Just by changing the starting question, you can kick off any task right at launch.

Real-World Example

Many people finish their first read-through the moment they receive a new folder, with the single line claude "explain the structure". Without digging through it yourself, you can get an at-a-glance summary of what language it's written in and where the core files are.

More Ways to Use It

• By changing the starting question, you can kick off any task right at launch—"summarize," "find bugs," "write tests," and so on.
• Jot down the first questions you use often and copy-paste them, so you don't have to retype them each time.
• If you want to just get the answer and exit, you can also use the -p option (print only, no chat window).

Wrap-Up

claude "question" is a shortcut that merges "launch + first instruction" into one line. Just move into your work folder and write the task in quotes after claude, and work starts immediately with no waiting. It's especially useful when first getting a feel for a new project.

Reference: Claude Code v2.1.154 (2026.05)